“Fine,” I said. “But you aren’t paying for me.” I stepped back in order to breathe easier. “And I’ll meet you there.”
9
Chapter 8
Joey
I arrived at Goodfella’s first and chose a booth in the corner with a high back for privacy.
When the server came to take my drink order, I gave him my credit card and told him to add a 25 percent tip. “Don’t bring the bill,” I said. “And make yourself scarce.”
I didn’t want distractions or any chance for Gabriella to pay. It didn’t matter if she earned more money than I did. I’d asked her for this date; I was paying.
Gabriella didn’t keep me waiting. She arrived a few minutes after the server dropped off two glasses and a pitcher of water.
I stood and helped her with her coat. She wore jeans and a Mossy Oak High T-shirt better than anyone. The jeans hugged her curvy ass, and the T-shirt was snug in all the right places.
Once she was settled in the booth, I slid in across from her and poured us each a glass of water. “Do you want wine?” I didn’t know what she liked to drink. I knew almost nothing about her besides what I knew from work and that she read sexy books. I wanted to know it all.
She reached for the menu. “Maybe just one glass.” Her eyes flashed around the restaurant first before settling on mine. “I shouldn’t have come.”
Ouch. That hurt. Luckily, my ego was bulletproof. “Why not?”
“Why not?” she asked in a strained voice. “Let’s start with the fact that we work together.”
I reached across the table and took her hand. “We aren’t at work right now. And there aren’t any rules about teachers dating.”
“I’m not a teacher. I’m your boss.”
Her palm was warm against mine. She wore a gold band on her ring finger that probably kept most men away, but not me. I’d asked around, and I knew she wasn’t married. Her husband, Shane’s father, had passed away a long time ago.
“You’re right,” I told her. “It’s risky.”
I loved my job at PES more than anything, except maybe coaching track, but I couldn’t stop obsessing over my boss. I wanted to explore the chemistry sizzling between us. I smiled, trying to look effortlessly charming, even though my heart was beating out of my chest in anticipation.
Her fingers curled around mine, and she stared at our joined hands. “You’re too young for me, Mr. Morales.”
We’d both acknowledged the risk of starting something, yet we were still touching, still leaning towards each other across the table as if a magnet were pulling us together.
I squeezed her hand. “I’m almost thirty.”
Her eyes flashed up from our intertwined fingers and narrowed on my face. “You’re twenty-seven, eight years younger than me. I have a son who’s half your age.”
I lifted my shoulders in a shrug. “Americans are so uptight about age. It’s just a number. And you should call me Joey. We’re having dinner together.” I waved my hand in the air. “No more of this Mr. Morales.”
The server arrived, and Gabriella tugged her hand free from mine as if he were going to tattle on us. She ordered a glass of Pinot Noir, but I stuck with water. I needed to keep my wits about me while attempting to seduce the Iron Lady. Although, I didn’t think the nickname suited her. Under her tough demeanor, I knew she was as soft as silk.
After the server left, she pretended to be absorbed in the menu. I knew she was pretending because the menu wasn’t that interesting. It was pizza and spaghetti—well-executed pizza and spaghetti but not worth the attention Gabriella was giving it.
“Everything is good,” I said. “The pizza is excellent. The lasagna is the second best I’ve ever had. And the company?” I waited until she lifted her gaze from the menu to look at me and flashed a smile. “Irresistible.”
Her shoulders sagged as if she carried the weight of the world on them. “I really shouldn’t be here.”
I dialed down the wattage of my smile, going for smolder instead of scorch. “You really should.”
She reached for her coat and purse. “I should have fired you last week,” she said.
“What?” I snagged her wrist, stopping her. She couldn’t drop a bomb like that and then run away. “You’d fire me for a dress code violation?”
